The Colors of War
by KyuubixChocolateCake
Summary: Loss: Dark Blue. Loneliness: Onyx. Bitterness: Navy Green. Jealousy: Jade. Lust: Scarlett. Love: Gold. Friendship: Indigo. Loyalty: Medium Blue. Family: Mikado Yellow. Secrecy: Tyrian Purple. These are the Colors of War.
1. Dark Blue: Loss

KINGDOM HEARTS

_Two Years Ago_

_Naminé snuffled as she sat on the cold, hard ground, her fifteen year old body shaking in the chill. Her adoptive mother had finally given into the sickness this morning, leaving her and her younger brother Matt to fend for themselves in the nearly deserted town. Their small town sat on the outskirts of the woods, and there were very few people still living in the area. She and Matt were two of the few left. _

_There was a crunching noise as she heard someone come up behind her. _

"_Hey, are you okay?" She looked over her shoulder at the stranger. It was a young man, a year or two older than she. "OK, stupid question," he said, sighing as he ran a hand through the bangs of his mullet. She looked at the hairstyle skeptically. He saw this and made an offended face. "Hey, I know what you're thinking. Don't be hatin' on the mullet!" he said indignantly. She managed a weak giggle. He was dressed strangely as well, wearing black boots, a black cloak, and black pants. He didn't seem to be affected by the cold. _

"_The name's Demyx," he said, squatting down to her level and holding a hand out. She took it gingerly and shook hands with him. _

"_Naminé," she replied, her lips quirking into a wry smile. His eyes showed astonishment. _

"_Naminé….." he breathed quietly. His eyes gained an enthusiastic, almost excited shine to them, and he pumped her arm furiously. "Nice to meet you Naminé!"_

_And that was how they had first met. After that first encounter, they began to meet daily. Sometimes, she even brought Matt along with her. The two boys bonded immediately. Naminé and Demyx slowly grew closer, becoming the best of friends within the first year. He was the only real friend she had had in years._

_But sometimes, Demyx acted a bit strange. He would become jumpy and fidget all the time until dashing off after they were done conversing, yelling that he would see her the next day. And then, the day after, he would be tired and weak. She wondered what he did on those days. They occurred at least once a month._

_When Matt passed as well, many tears were shed, all for a lost brother and friend. Soon, Naminé turned 16, then 17, becoming and looking more mature with every month. _

_Finally, the day came where Demyx told her that he had something important to tell her. They planned to meet up the next day in their usual spot._

Present Time

Naminé's footsteps were soundless as she padded through the snow. She was heading towards the hideout her and her best friend Demyx had found together. He was probably already there seeing as she was always late. As she neared the dilapidated building she heard a strange sound. It was very faint, but she managed to catch it. It sounded like paper crackling as it was crumpled.

The sharp odor of something burning reached her nose. What was going on? She quickened her pace and rounded the corner to the entrance. The faint wisps of smoke hit her face as it drifted out of one of the many broken windows. The smell changed, becoming one of roasting meat.

Naminé pulled on the handle of the door. It took her a couple of seconds to open it far enough for her to squeeze in.

"Dem?" she called hesitantly. There was no reply. She frowned. "Dem, are you here?" she called once more, taking a few steps forward. Still, the only sounds were her own breathing and the mysterious crackling, which had gotten a little louder.

Naminé walked to one of the rooms and stuck her head in. Nothing was inside. She quickly checked the next four storage rooms of the large warehouse. Finally, she came to the last, hidden room. She walked over to the south wall and felt around for a loose brick. When she found it, she slid it to the right, and suddenly a section of bricks pulled apart, revealing the last room.

She walked towards it, noticing that the smoke had come out of nowhere, coiling thickly around her ankles and wafting into her face as she moved forward. The stench of cooking meat became over-powering and she held her nose, only breathing through her mouth. She entered the old storage room, her eyes sweeping across the walls and the floor. Smoke stung her eyes, clung to her hair and clothing, and stung her throat as her line of sight came upon the source. She choked, stumbling back and tripping over her own feet.

Air wasn't coming in anymore and she scrambled to her hands and knees. As her back hit the wall behind her, her voice came back. Naminé let out a choked scream, and coughed. She resumed screaming once again and the sound was bloodcurdling as she covered her eyes.

"Demyx! Demyx! Demy! Why? Oh my god, WHY!" She sobbed into her hands and then felt her stomach flip. She quickly clambered to her feet, sagging against the wall for support for a few seconds before finding the strength to run back out the way she had come. Naminé stumbled out of the store room and ran towards the exit of the warehouse. As she made it outside, she collapsed, falling to her knees and heaving up the meager amount of food she had had that morning. Her stomach kept convulsing even after she was completely empty.

Sweat beaded on her forehead and along her nose as she fought for breath. The stench of bile hit her nostrils and her throat burned. The snow in front of her was stained yellow. She fell back onto her bottom and wrapped her arms around her knees, curling into a ball.

The image of a burning human carcass was forever burned into her mind.

-13_-13_-13_-13_-13_-13

Naminé sat numbly in the cold. Snow continued to fall from the sky, tainted gray by ash.

There was nothing left here. Nothing for her to hold onto and call her own. Everything – everyone – she cared about was gone. Some left before it all got worse. Others simply disappeared. But most, most were dead. Just like Demyx. Or Matthew, her little brother.

She had managed to leave the abandoned warehouse and make her way to the old park. But that had been hours ago. Yet, she still sat underneath the bare oak, watching smoke coil up from far away bombings. Suddenly, the enormity of the situation hit. She had nothing. No one. Everything was gone….

Everything was gone! Naminé felt something in her snap. It was probably her heart breaking – again. Her chest tightened and her eyes began to burn as tears built up. She clambered to her feet. She would not cry out in the open like this. She quickly fled to towards the faint line of trees to the north. As she ran, her chest became even tighter, and the tears started to fall. They splashed down her clothes and onto the ground.

After 20 minutes or so, Naminé ran into a small clearing in the woods and the cabin that resided there. She ran into the small building (more like a room really) and collapsed on her bed. Naminé sobbed into her pillow, letting the last slivers of stress out as she grieved for her lost friend. After about ten minutes, she lifted her head from the cushion, the cold winter air inside the cabin cooling the hot, swollen skin around her eyes.

She took deep shuddering breaths and attempted to loosen her muscles. Slowly, the tight mass that was her shoulders smoothed out as she let out one last shaky breath. With her breathing returning to normal, Naminé felt her body mold itself to her worn mattress. All semblance of thought left her mind as she fell into a deep sleep.


	2. Celeste: Savior

KINGDOM HEARTS

The cold was what woke Naminé the next morning. It slid down her throat and into her lungs as she yawned hugely, rubbing her eyes in sleepiness. It looked like she had forgotten to put wood in the furnace last night.

She turned herself so that she was lying on her back and stared at her ceiling sadly. What would she do now? She didn't have anyone or anything left here, but she certainly didn't have the money or the courage to get out of this warzone. Thankfully it wasn't so bad in the woods. Bombs were only dropped over the main city.

This war had started back when she was only a small child and had carried on for the past eleven years. Actually, it had started around the same time as when she had been taken in by her adoptive family.

The battle was between Kingdom Hearts, the old, legendary monarchy of many of the worlds in this galaxy, and the Heartless Queen, Maleficent. The wicked, dragon woman wished to rule over the entire galaxy by throwing over the king and queen of Kingdom Hearts.

But no one, in the last twenty years or so had seen hair or hide of the magical, somewhat mythical, land. It was said to be somewhere in the Realm of Light, the very world Naminé lived in. Many were skeptical that Kingdom Hearts even existed. But Naminé knew that it did. She couldn't explain why or how; in her heart, it was a known fact that Kingdom Hearts was real. And it had to be protected.

Naminé pushed herself into a sitting position and swung her feet over the side of the small cot. She scurried over to the stack of logs by the door and grabbed a few then proceeded to the furnace, where she threw them in and lit a match, watching as the flame caught onto the dry wood and exploded into a quickly growing heat source. She seated herself on the chair positioned near it and felt her body begin to unthaw.

After fifteen minutes or so, she stood up and walked over to the small pantry, rifling through it to check her meager food supply. After concluding that she was low on many things, and making a mental list, she began to gather some warm clothing. She would have to go to the small storage area by the pond, which was most likely, frozen over. She pulled on her sweatshirt and sweatpants over her thermals and a thick woolen hat on her head, then slipped her gloves on. She flexed her fingers and tugged and picked at her clothing until it was comfortable. Walking over to the door once more, she stuffed her socked feet into her small and worn boots.

She pulled at her hat one more time then, looking back at the slowly dwindling flames, pushed the door open. Closing it behind her, she quickly locked it and began to make her way south through the forest. Soon she came up on a sluggish river. The water was having a tough time flowing past the ice that was slowly, but surely, starting to build up. It was quite strange that the stream wasn't already frozen as it was.

About five minutes later, she neared the end of the stream. As she ducked underneath a low hanging branch, a snap sounded out hollowly behind her. Her eyes widened, and she turned cautiously. "Hello?" she called out. There was no response. Why did this scenario seem so familiar?

She turned around a moment later and quickened her pace slightly. The edge of the pond was within her line of sight when it hit her. Literally. A sharp blow came back to the back of her head and she fell forward, face planting in the soft snow.

The last thing she heard before blacking out was a deeper voice shouting out, "HEY!"

-13 -13 -13 -13 -13 -13 -13 -13 -13 -13 -13

Naminé woke sometime later to the sounds of crackling and warmth. She shifted and her head throbbed. She winced and then came to realize that she was back in her cabin.

_And someone was walking out the front door._

Naminé shrieked in surprise and the stranger tripped.

"Who are you?" She asked, shocked. The stranger shook his head and turned around slowly, hands in the held out in front of him, showing he was no threat. Naminé gathered the blankets around her in order to shield herself from him, just in case.

The first thing she noticed was his bright, crystalline green eyes. They were a vibrant shade of emerald, but, somehow, seemed dull. Next, was his hair. It was styled in a messy array of spikes that swirled at the top, and suited him well. They went up diagonally and looked incredibly soft, as if the whole thing was natural. His hair was jet black and made his eyes stand out. He was tall and lightly tanned with a strong jaw and a cute nose. He was rather handsome.

She blushed heavily. The strange man was slightly intimidating with his blank, emotionless gaze that he now directed straight at the floor.

"Who are you?" she repeated. The young man crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at the floor, not giving an answer. Naminé huffed and then realized something. "Are you the one who saved me?" she asked quietly. He didn't respond immediately, but soon he nodded stiffly.

"Be that way," she muttered under her breath. His head snapped up and he glared at her coldly. She met his stare with one of her own and lifted her head in defiance. If he was going to act this way to her, then she would give him the same treatment – to an extent.

He looked away first, his mouth set into a hard line, annoyance prominent on his face. She had to be the bigger person. Naminé shoved her blankets aside and clambered out of her cot, then attempted to be a good host.

"Would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee?" she asked him, walking into her small, very cramped kitchen. There was a short wooden bar separating it from the rest of the cabin and cabinets lining the far wall, with a sink directly under the second window. A small pantry was nestled into a corner next to a beat-up looking refrigerator.

"No." She nearly jumped. His voice, although cold, was smooth and deep, yet it carried a husky, boyish tone to it. She felt a shiver of pleasure run up her spine, and her cheeks warm up. She probably looked akin to a tomato. That was just great.

Naminé scowled and pulled out the necessary pots to make tea. Just because he didn't want anything, didn't mean that she couldn't have something warm. The cabin became quiet and awkward, and she felt a need to say something.

"Just because you won't tell me your name, doesn't mean that I have to be as rude. I'm Naminé." She heard a quick intake of breath, and turned to look at the man. The stranger's face had gone pale and his eyes showed sadness and shock.


	3. Harlequin: Aggravation

**Wow, I feel like I've neglected this story. Anyways, here's chapter three. I'd like to thank three people for being the very first to review: **li'miss sunshine, Madhatta51, and soluvepink. **You guys are definitely the best. Anyone who added this to any of their lists, thank you so much!**

**Now to the story. Disclaimer: All rights go to Square Enix. Plot is mine. Carry on.**

KINGDOM HEARTS

"_Just because you won't tell me your name, doesn't mean that I have to be as rude. I'm Naminé." She heard a quick intake of breath, and turned to look at the man. The stranger's face had gone pale and his eyes showed sadness and shock. _

But, as quickly as it had come, it was gone. His beautiful green eyes turned cold once more and his jaw tightened as he looked away.

"Well, that's a disappointment" he muttered bitterly. Naminé heard him and felt something inside of her snap for the second time this week. Her temper had reached the breaking point and all of her frustration and anger at the insolence of this _complete stranger_ was finally spilling over.

"What the FUCK is your problem?" she demanded angrily, storming up to him and shoving him back forcefully. She might have been a good three or four inches shorter than him, but she was PISSED.

"I allow you to stay in my home, and I even try to be polite to you, and then you go and insult me? WHAT THE HELL? Who does that!" she said, her voice getting louder and louder with each word, until she was fairly certain that she was screaming.

The boy's eyes had gone wide and she felt satisfied as she saw a hint of fear in his eyes. That is, until she realized what he was scared of. Somehow, a golden glow had enveloped Naminé as she had been telling him off, and now it was whipping around the room. Naminé yelped and tripped over herself in her shock.

The golden glow began to fade as her anger was replaced by her own fear. The black-haired man was leaning against a wall with one leg stretched out and the other up against his chest, his hands holding him up as he tried to distance himself from her.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Naminé shrieked in fear.

"I-I don't know," he said, confused. "But I think… I think that was your aura." She just looked at him.

"My- my aura?" she asked questioningly. He grimaced. And she felt herself glare at him. That bastard…

"Your aura…" he started, his voice trailing away as if trying to come up with a way to describe it. Then he let a quick, angry sigh, shaking his head. "Look, I don't know how to describe it, OK?" he snapped.

"Didn't we just go over how fucking annoying that is?" Naminé said scathingly. He slid his leg back down and crossed his arms over his chest once more.

Silence grew between them.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" he said after a few moments, shocking her.

"At least you have that word in your vocabulary. Here I was, thinking you didn't have a polite bone in your body," she said scornfully. He glared at her hatefully, completely enraged.

"Jesus, why don't you try shutting up for once, you stupid idiot!" he shouted.

"Is that the best you can do? I've heard better insults from a three year-old!" she taunted him. He was on his feet in seconds, and he stalked over to her and grabbed her arm roughly, yanking her to her feet.

He then proceeded to grab her chin and turn her face towards his.

"Listen, you little bitch. I could've left you out there to get raped or kidnapped or SOMETHING, _but I didn't_. So why don't you shut that trap of yours and take my apology in good grace," he said threateningly. Naminé felt her heart race and her breathing hitched. Holy fuck, this guy was scary. He was like a psychopath or something.

She yanked herself away from him and rubbed her jaw, feeling it sting from his hard grip.

"Fine!" she snapped. He smirked and she felt her face heat up. Unfortunately, one of the things she had gathered from that experience was that his breath smelled amazing, like chocolate or something. Also, the area around his iris had a faint gray circle around it. It reminded her of something… where had she seen that before? She searched though her memory. Finally it hit her.

"Are you wearing contacts?" she asked him curiously, despite what had just transpired. He looked completely flabbergasted, and she giggled at his ridiculous face.

"What- what the hell gave you that idea?" he said snapped, looking away from her.

She shrugged. "I can just tell. You have that circle around your iris, the kind that shows that someone's wearing contacts. So…. Is green your real eye color?"

It was odd. They had been fighting just moments ago, and now they were having a normal conversation. How things could change.

He looked torn, like he wanted to tell her the truth but he didn't know if he could trust her.

She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly. "Oh come on, you can tell me. I mean, it can't possibly be that important can it?" she said coaxingly.

He looked at her, straight in the eye, and she smiled encouragingly. He frowned.

"….No. They aren't my real eye color," he gave up grudgingly. She smiled widely; they were making progress. Maybe… Maybe by the end of this, they wouldn't hate each other so much.

One could hope, right?

-13_-13_-13_-13_-13_-13_-13_-13

A few hours later, Naminé sat on her bed, talking to the boy in front of her. She hadn't gotten him to share his name yet, because he was dead set on not telling her any more than he wanted to share. But she had managed to gather that his real eye color was a deep navy blue and that his hair wasn't actually black either. It had taken her some time to guess the color of his eyes though.

Despite being a very enthusiastic artist, Naminé still thought it was slightly odd that someone had eyes that shade of blue. When she thought of Navy Blue, she thought of darkly colored denim.

"So why are you even wearing this disguise?" she asked him, thoroughly intrigued. He looked out the window.

"I don't think….. that I should tell you just yet. I don't know you that well," he said a little gruffly. She huffed. His attitude was still annoying as ever, no matter how many hours she had put into breaking his shell.

"It's getting dark out," he said, standing up and looking at her. She looked out the window. It was indeed dark out in the forest.

"Yeah," she said, tilting her head to the side. "So?" He looked at the door pointedly and put one hand behind his head to ruffle his spikes. "I need to get going so that I can find somewhere to spend the night. A small cave or something," he said. She sighed. "Look, whatever-your-name-is, you can just spend the night here. I mean, there isn't really anywhere _else_ out there," she said quietly.

He looked at her with his eyebrows raised. She noticed that even they were black, the same shade as his hair.

"Oh, come one already. I won't bite," she said jokingly. His mouth twitched slightly, and for just a second, she saw a hint of a smile. She gave him a small one in return. The boy took one last look out the window and sighed.

"Okay. One night couldn't hurt. But do have any room for me?" he asked hesitantly. Naminé looked around the small cabin.

"Well, you could always just sleep on the floor right there," she said, pointing towards an empty space right in front of her bed. He nodded. "OK, well, I'll just set up some blankets and a pillow for you," she said standing up and stepping over to her small closet.

She pulled open the small door and gazed sadly at her meager amount of clothing. Sighing resignedly, Naminé gathered the extra blankets and pillows from a box on the floor. They were heavier than she had originally thought and she heard a slight rustle of clothing as the boy moved forward.

"Here, lemme help," he said quietly. Her back bumped into his chest as she tried to balance the weight, and she blushed.

"O-oh, ok." She turned slowly, trying not to let anything in her arms fall onto the floor. He took the bunch from her and walked turned towards the spot, then put the blankets and the pillow onto her bed. He then began to make a makeshift mattress by piling a few of the thicker blankets one on top of the other. He pushed the rest to the side. Then he put the small pillow down. Naminé moved forward and helped him put down the last few blankets.

A few moments later as they looked down upon the hastily made bed, Naminé was surprised to see just how many blankets she had had in her closet. They probably would've helped in the past during those cold winter nights when she lay shivering in bed.

Naminé put her hands on her hips. "Well, I guess that's done," she said.

The black-haired boy stretched and muttered "Yup." He reached one hand back to ruffle his spikes once more and looked at her. "Well…." He said trailing off.

Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion before she gathered his meaning. "Oh! Right, I'll just let you get to bed then," she mumbled. As he sat down onto his mattress of sorts, Naminé hurried over to her closet once more and took out some night clothes: an old long-sleeved shirt that just barely went past her hips, and a worn pair of gray and blue flannel pants.

"Well, I'll just go change into these real quick," she said, gesturing to the bathroom. He nodded tiredly, stretching out and laying on his back looking up at the ceiling, his hands behind his head.

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The boy stared up at the ceiling, thinking hard. How had he managed to stumble across Naminé of all people? It had been years, and he had thought that she was dead. Hell, everyone thought that she had been killed. His heart clenched. Those first few years without her had been painful. For him especially. Well, maybe her parents more so. But she had been his _best friend._

He heard the click of the doorknob and turned his head towards the bathroom. Out came Naminé, the girl he had just been reminiscing about. He took in her attire and felt his cheeks heat up. She didn't notice. Obviously she was trying to give him a nosebleed or something. She was wearing a form fitting long-sleeve and thin flannel pants. Though it was for home, the shirt hugged her slight curves.

In the last ten years, she had grown up…. And the boy would be lying if he said that he didn't find her attractive as a young woman.


	4. Cadet: Hardships

**Hey! Here's the next chapter of ****The Colors of War****! This one was a toughie to write because it's kind of filler and I'm not very good at those. Oh, and the title of this chapter is to represent some of what Naminé has to go through, on her own, and with others. **

**I'm going to include a character description of these two current characters. I'll include them for any chapters where new people are introduced!**

_**Naminé:**_

**Hair Color - Platinum blonde, darkens in winter**

**Height – 5'4"**

**Weight – 110.32 (due to lack of food)**

**Eye Color – Icy blue to light cerulean**

**Age – 17**

_**The Stranger:**_

**Hair Color – Black**

**Height – 5'11"**

**Weight – 146.72 lbs**

**Eye Color – Forest Green to bright emerald**

**Age - 18**

**So read and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any characters used. Plot is mine though.**

KINGDOM HEARTS

The next morning when Naminé woke up, she wasn't entirely sure that the whole ordeal from the day before hadn't just been a dream. A bad dream at that. Then she saw the scattered sheets on the floor in front of her bed.

She looked around the room, rubbing a fist against one eye while yawning and stretching her other arm above her head. Her nightshirt was pretty old, and so, as she stretched, it rode up, revealing the milky skin underneath.

Her guest chose that moment to come back inside. His eyes immediately went to her exposed stomach, but then he blushed and looked away.

"!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Good morning," she said after a few moments of an awkward silence.

"Hi," he mumbled back tiredly. It seemed that when he had no energy, he didn't really have any fight, either. She swung her feet over the side of the bed and shivered as they made contact with the cold wood. Rubbing her arms to warm herself, Naminé made her way to the pantry, opening it to sift around for breakfast.

Gazing at the contents within the small storage area, she groaned softly.

"What's wrong?" he asked with his gruff voice. She turned to face him and leaned against the wall.

"I don't have any food. I was on my way to get some yesterday, when… well, you know," she told him, tugging on a strand of platinum blonde hair nervously as her stomach growled. He rubbed one of his eyes.

"Oh, yeah, that could be a problem." His voice was laced with light sarcasm. She moved away from her resting point on the wall and grabbed her boots and jacket, getting ready to head out.

"Please do **not** start with me now. I have to go get something for us to eat. If you wanna come you can," she said, shoving one of her feet into a slightly small boot. She tapped the toe against the floor. She'd have to get new ones soon, but where? Everywhere was out of business and boarded up!

He shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Guess I'm going then," he said simply. On the inside, Naminé sighed. She didn't need any fighting right now. Her life had started to change too much. There were too many variables!

She opened the door and shivered in the sudden cold, drawing her coat closer to her. No matter how long she had lived here, she would never get used to the winters. Her footsteps left impressions in the packed snow, leaving a marked path of exactly where they were going. She bit her lip. Something seemed wrong, but then again, she could just be being paranoid.

She looked at the boy to her side from her peripheral vision. He was frowning, tugging on a strand of black hair that hung just to the side of his jaw thoughtfully. She smiled at the cute habit, but quickly stopped. No. Now was not the time.

She looked at her surroundings, and, after acknowledging the direction they were facing, turned so that she was facing the southwest portion of the woods. "Ok, just follow me. The place we're heading to is run down so…. Just don't be expecting anything," she said to him. He nodded and walked silently behind her, the only hint of his presence being the occasional crunch of the snow under his feet.

They ambled along for a good twenty minutes before coming to the edge of the tree line. As they exited the forest, Naminé cast a furtive glance around to her surroundings. Not seeing a soul about, she quickly hurried towards a small shack just to the left of the area. Stopping in front and feeling around on the top of the window, she came upon a small key, which she closed her fist around. Shuffling backwards, she turned and stuck the key into the door.

She carefully turned the knob and slipped into the freezing building. The young man walked in behind her, rubbing one of his arms to warm up as his breath formed in the air, white puffs billowing softly.

Walking confidently to the back of the shack, Naminé rested herself of on her thighs and pulled the cover off of a large box. Inside were boxes of old cereal, probably stale by now, but still okay to eat, and dozens of 'Cup 'o Ramen'.

"Wow," the boy said. "Is that what you eat for lunch and dinner?"

"Unfortunately," she replied, grabbing as many as she could and shoving them into his arms. "Here, you carry these," she said.

"That must get bland," he said, peering at one of the bunch in his arms. She shrugged.

"Ya gotta eat what you get," she said, grabbing two boxes of cereal and a few cups of ramen for herself to carry.

"Well, how are you gonna eat the cereal? Don't you need milk?" he asked her skeptically. She looked back at him and smiled as they moved on to another box.

"Of course! How else would I get my daily source of calcium, " she said teasingly. He smiled slightly in response, and she turned her head around once more to avoid him seeing her red face. Damn that smile of his…

She set her load down on the floor and opened the box. Inside were hundreds of packets of instant milk in powder form. She grabbed a few and replaced the lid. Standing back up and facing him, she held the packets up for display.

"Do you understand now?" she asked. He nodded, and she gathered the rest of their things. They headed off back towards her cabin after she put the key back in its place, the sound of crunching snow the only sound between them.

-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13

After eating a warm breakfast of cereal and heated milk, Naminé sighed and stretched her arms above her head. The boy was sitting in front of her, his own bowl empty and pushed to the side, resting his chin in the palm of his hand and drumming his fingers on the table.

Naminé peered at him. There was something off about him. He didn't seem to be from around these parts. Well, she knew that already. But he didn't seem to be from any particular part of the war zone. He seemed more on edge than that. Obviously he wasn't used to the area, she had gathered that much from the multiple times he had almost tripped over hidden logs and such in the snow. She knew how to detect and avoid obstacles like that. But he was already getting used to that.

"Where are you from?" she asked suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence that had started to fill the air. He froze, his eyes locking on to the bowl in front of him. He slowly locked gazes with her.

Then he said, "Far from here. It's much warmer in the winter." She searched his gaze, trying to find some proof that he was lying. But his eyes held steady resolve, and there was nothing hinting at deception and so she nodded. The answer made sense. It would explain why he wasn't used to looking out for things in the snow.

"So, you'll be heading out today then?" she asked. He nodded once and she slumped in her chair.

"Why?" he asked her. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked to the side.

"It's nothing. I was just getting used to someone being around," she said stiffly. Already she could feel the prickling sensation behind her eyes. The prospect of loneliness scared her to no end. She was used to having at least one person there for and the only possible candidate was about to walk right back out of her life.

She could hear him shifting in the chair, seemingly uncomfortable.

"Oh," he said. She hadn't even said anything, made any motion to indicate the real reason, and, somehow, he knew. She could here that much in his voice. A new silence stretched on. Then he rose, standing up and stretching his own arms.

"…I'm sorry…. But I have to go," he said, turning and grabbing his coat off of the chair.

"Yeah…" she said, her voice cracking for a second. She quickly covered it up by coughing. His hand was on the doorknob.

"Bye."

"Good bye."

-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13

**Yeah, so kind of suckish ending right there. You're all probably wondering, **_**"Well, where the heck is this supposed to be going?"**_

**Well, it's going somewhere. And you all are probably wondering why the descriptions, if you read them up above, are so detailed. Let's just say that, sometimes in English, I have too much time, and not enough inspiration. **

**If you liked this chapter, please review! I'll try to have the next chapter out ASAP. I think it's the one with a lot of action! So, again, review!**


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